An Exhibition of Chinese Porcelains

An Exhibition of Chinese PorcelainsAuthor(s): J. M. B.Source: The Collector and Art Critic, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Feb., 1907), pp. 149-152Published by:Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25435844 .Accessed: 14/10/2014 12:49

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AN EXHIBITION OF CHINESE PORCELAINS by J. M. B.

A n extraordinary exhibition of Chinese porcelains is on view in New York in the new annex galleries of Messrs.

Duveen Brothers, extraordinary in the excellence of the individual specimens displayed and extraordinary in general decorative effect. The lighting of the exhibits is in itself worthy of special men tion. Almost every case has its own lights, concealed at the top and adjusted so as to bring out to the best possible

advantage the color value of each specimen. On account of the thought and care expended on this point alone the impression miade by the series of small

galleries is brilliant in the extreme and the student is afforded an additional oppor tunity to study detail by mirrors placed behind and under the more important pieces.

Each case is treated as a problem in

decorative art and the contents grouped with admirable taste and skill; the beauti ful case of "peach-blooms" in the gallery devoted to selections from the collection of

Mr. Marsden J. Perry is an instance, being a delight to the eye as an "arrangement,"

aside from the beauty of the separate

pieces. In fact, from the moment one

steps from Fifth Avenue into the large entrance hall, designed by McKim,

Mead & White, until one leaves by the

same noble apartment, the sense of the

fine art of decoration is never absent.

This is as it should be. The law that

the whole is greater than any part applies to exhibitions as well as to everything

else. We have yet to learn, chiefly from

Germany, how to arrange picture ex

hibitions, but the Messrs. Duveen have

shown uis how to arrange porcelain shows.

Other valuable features are the presence of an unusual number of well-informed

and easily approachable and even sociable

gentlemen in the rooms, not only willing but

eager to answer questions, also the very

complete and competent catalogue. The

preface is an historical account of Chinese porcelain which covers nearly fifty pages and concludes with a valuable "Summary of Dates" of the most notable dynasties and periods in tabular, form, which

Thzis is said to be the most valuable vatse in the] world. It is absolutely unique, being the only known example of red hawthorn. Rare Ching

por-celain. Height 31 inches. Loaned by Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan. Formerly in the South

Kensington museum, Salting loan collection.

149


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Thle Collector and Art Critic

l~~~

Cabinet Vase. Fine white textu,red porcelain of 1 lVing (one of the famous superintendents of the imperial factory) with a green enamelled background of rare quality. Period of

K'ang IIsi. Height 29 inches. Loan2ed by

Mfr. J. Pierpont M3organ.

students of the subject will hasteni to frame. There are also short chapters on "White Porcelain," "Blue and White," "Powder Blue," "The Introduction of Chinese Porcelain into Europe," and on those porcelains with a black ground, sang de boeuf, "peach-blooms," and single color pieces and early s)ecimens.

The only points in the slhow which

can be criticised are several errors in dates here, one of whieh ascribes to the great Emperor K'ang-hsi a reign lasting one hundred and ten years, the statement be ilng nfa(le on page 28, and repeated on page 29, that he ascended the throne in 1662 at the age of eight and died in 1772 -which of course should read 1722.

K'ang-hsi, statesman, general and art patron, was remarkable enough without having lived to be 118. At fourteen he took matters into his own hands and before long had begun the golden age of Chinese porcelains, an era the like of which the world will never see again.

In the midst of the cares of an empire he became one of the most munificent and intelligent patron of the arts the world has ever seen, and thc town of Ching-te-Chen, where the porcelain fac tori3s were, became the Pittsburg of its day. "Entering the port, the sight is greeted by immense volumes of smoke and flames," wrote Pt-re d' Entrecolles, missionary of the Society of Jesus, who sailed from France in 1700 to explore the unknown country.

There is no mystery about Chinese porcelain and no one claims that all of it is beautiful. It must be borne in mind that in China porcelain bore an official significance. A general returning from a successful campaign would be presented

with a large vase from the Imperial fac tory-green, the color symbol for heroism -instead of a house and lot; and in many other ways was porcelain a part of Chinese life.

So collections can be made for many other reasons than those strictly esthetic. Then there is the question of rarity. It is no secret that the rarest pieces are not always the most beautiful; and the same is true of technique. A piece

may be a marvel of technique and yet fail of beauty. All of which serves to remind us that collections may be judged by several standards, each of which has its reason for existence.

Most people feel that Chinese art is

something apart from us of this time and

150



An Exlzibztion of Oriental Porcelains country. To prove that all the arts are as one and that there is nothing that can not be understood about the art of China -that the rules of composition 'and color are the same here as elsewhere, as they obtain in all countries and all ages-an experiment may be recorded. I took.with me to Duveen's on the opening day a man whose work runs along decorative lines but who knows little or nothing re garding Chinese porcelain and asked him to jot down in the course of a careful tour of observation the catalogue numbers of the pieces that he liked best. He did not even see a cata.logue. A subse quent analysis of his notes showed that he had chosen, out of the total of 464 numbers, forty-six pieces, twenty-nine of which were of the period of the great K'ang-hsi, the golden age of Chinese por celain, ten of which were of the succeeding and almost equally brilliant period of his son, who reigned only twelve years, and three of which were of the long period of the next ruler, during whose reign the influence of the great K'ang-hsi, and the

Ginger Jar. Blue hawthorn of fine grained paste of purest white texture with the precious cobalt blue decoration. Period of K'ang Hsi. tleight iOY4 inches. Loaned by Mr. J. Pier gont MJIorgan.

ANCIENT POT'T'ER Y. (On the left: I ase covered witul greenish glaze with an ornamented

band in relief. Han dynasty. B. C. 206 to A4. D. 220. I-Ieight 14 Y2 inches. --In the centre:

Jar, ancientt tripod, with its own cover, the decoration modelled in slight relief. Also of the Han

dynasty. Height 10 inches.-On the right: V1ase, amphora form, with ring neck and dragon handles; rice color glaze. Unique example Cf the Sung dynasty, -A. D. 960 to 1259. Height 18

inches. 151



Thle Collector and Art Critic two geniuses who under him were directors of the Imperial porcelain factory, began to fade. The remaining four were scattered over the two thousand years which coni prise the history of this delicate and complicated art.

Although I do not mean to say that the proportion of good work to work less good is as he indicated, it seemed to me remarkable that a man untrained, and

guided solely by personal taste should be able to select out of a large collection these fortv-six pieces, forty-two of which were of the best and most famous period.

It demonstrated anew to me the uni versality, the common-sense, the sim plicity of all great art, which after all is only good work; the masterpiece of art being simply the best piece of work of its kind.

A GOTHIC TABLE

_7_

r- HE aiticle in the last nuimber on "Interior Decoration in America,"

. by William Franklyn Paiis through some unaccountable error

the type setter was allowed to give it to WTalter Paris-led me to look for some ocular demonstr ation of the argument put forth. It was found in this Gothic table of the Henry Deux period, of which the drawing and composition, the relation of all its lines and masses, the excellent ad julstment of all its proportions, and the balance of all projections and depressions, decla.re the master-hand.

Tt is the design of such individual pieces, in harmony with the decorative woodwork of the interior where the table is to be placed, that demonstrates the need of the decorative architect. Such a Gothic table, or one which I saw for a chapter room at Yale University, is not simply an ephemeral expression of a passing fad or fancy, of which the present work in this country is so representative. It is more en during in the artistic pleasure which it gives because of the extent of its decorative quality: an artistic imagining has been put into a visible and tangible shape.

152



Article Contentsp. 149p. 150p. 151p. 152

Issue Table of ContentsThe Collector and Art Critic, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Feb., 1907), pp. 133-176Front MatterCalendar for the Month of February, 1907 [p. 133-133][Illustration]: "Woman in White," by Howard Gardiner Cushing [p. 134-134]The Critic's Cogitations [pp. 135-140]Some Picture News [p. 140-140]Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Note [pp. 141-142]The Metropolitan Museum [p. 142-142]The H. S. Henry Collection [pp. 143-146]A Bootblack's Talk on Collectors [pp. 147-148]Two Door Knockers by Angelo del Nero [p. 148-148]An Exhibition of Chinese Porcelains [pp. 149-152]A Gothic Table [p. 152-152]The Passing Shows [pp. 153-155][Illustrations]: From the Timothy Cole Exhibit at the National Arts Club [pp. 156-157]Review: Bookcraft [pp. 158-160]Fragonard [p. 161-161]A Coming International Exhibition [p. 161-161]Stagecraft [p. 162-162]Picture Sales [pp. 163, 165, 167, 169, 171, 173, 175]The Boston and Pittsburg Museums [p. 175-175]Back Matter

An Exhibition of Chinese Porcelains

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